Privacy: What's the big deal?

Computer users everywhere list computer privacy as one of the biggest blockades to their Internet use. While online shopping, banking and bill paying is available and likely very convenient, the idea of sending personal information into a seemingly unknown abyss like the world wide web makes many people uncomfortable. The collection and sale of personal information has become a booming business for the marketing industry, so one has a reason to be leery of disclosing private information online. Even those grocery store discount memberships have an ulterior motive: your local grocer could actually be tracking your purchases so that targeted coupons can reach your doorstep. Sure this tailor-made marketing sounds kind of exciting and convenient, but who really gets their hands on your private information? Whether it's shopping habits or your social security number you should tighten the reigns on your privacy. Here are two effective ways to improve your personal privacy level on the web.

1. Use a separate account for your personal email. Though you may be sending email from your home computer, if you are using your workplace email server your information could be easily accessed by your employer and coworkers. Set up a separate email account stemming from a separate server to ensure that your messages are confidential.

2. Clear your browser cache after browsing. After you surf the web a transcript of all you visited sites and activities is stored on your PC. Go to "Preferences" in your browser and click on "Empty Cache". This way your browsing activity is between you and your PC- nobody else.

To really ensure your privacy though, you should seriously consider purchasing privacy software. Check out http://www.consumerfirstreviews.com/

Ways to Protect Your Privacy

Never give out your social security number unless you have to.

During a hospital stay ask who has access to your records, you can also check "access logs" to see who has accessed your information.

You may also attempt to restrict the amount of information that is relayed to insurers or employers. Avoid blanket authorizations by various organizations to view your history.

You may also refuse to fill out medical questionnaires, accompanying surveys, or drug promotions which is a way third parties obtain your information.

If your employer is self-insured ask for a copy of all policies regarding medical information.

Never provide health information over the phone and prohibit your health-care provider from releasing medical records without authorization from you.

Is your anti-virus software ICSA Certified?

ICSA is an independent organization with specific criteria for certifying anti-virus software. To become certified, a program must meet certain standards such as: Detect 100 percent of current viruses listed on the‘In The Wild’ list, Detect 100 percent of viruses listed in the ICSA Labs Common Infectors Test Suite, Detect 100 percent of ICSA Labs Polymorphic Test Suite, etc. Make sure your anti-virus software is ICSA Certified. If you find that your software is not certified you need to make a change to ensure the safety of your PC. If you don't currently utilize anti-virus software you need to purchase the software. Consumer First Reviews offers honest and comprehensive reviews of leading anti-virus programs, see http://www.consumerfirstreveiws.com/antivirus

Phishing more common than viruses

Data from MessageLabs showed that in January 2007 number of phishing attacks overtook number of virus attacks. Emails containing phishing attacks has now reached 1.07%, while Trojans and viruses infected 0.83% of all emails. So what is Phising and how can I prevent it? Pronounced "fishing," it is a scam to steal valuable information like credit card and social security numbers, user IDs and passwords. When phishing occurs, an professional-seeming e-mail is sent to recipients pretending to be from their ISP, bank or retail establishment. These messages may be sent to people on selected lists or on any list, expecting that some percentage of recipients will actually have an account with the organization the message claims as its source. The e-mail usually asks the user to re-enter their financial or account information because of some internal technical error. The page might seem official, but any HTML page on the web can be copied, so be wary even of sites that "look" official. To prevent phishing on your computer you must equip your computer with the proper software to detect and prevent phishing. We suggest Norton Confidential. See this page for details on this personal privacy defender http://www.topcfr.com/

What is computer security?

Computer security involves two actions: prevention and detection. For your computer to be secure it must prevent intruders from tapping into your system. Detection is the act of determining whether an intruder has, in fact, tried to enter your system. You might wonder, why should I care about computer security? If you are like most Americans you likely use your computer for banking, shopping and email. Those activities potentially expose your personal information like account numbers, personal messages and even social security numbers for others’ to see. In order to hide your personal information you must be sure that your computer is secure from intruders. We suggest purchasing personal privacy software like Norton Confidential to safeguard your PC against security threats. http://www.topcfr.com/